Northeast Asia Peace Initiative

On the Korean Peninsula following World War II, people with a common history, culture, and language were divided by the Cold War struggle between superpowers. UPF conferences and forums bring together leading diplomats and scholars to offer insights into prospects for improved relations among the countries of the region. Political, military, economic, and civil-society factors are considered at conferences and forums. Civil-society initiatives between South Korea and North Korea include tourism, humanitarian projects, and various forms of personal engagement. Scroll down for reports.
 
NE Asia
Goal: Peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula and harmonious relations among the nations of North East Asia
Methods: Consultations and civil-society initiatives that build personal connections
 
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The Helsinki process, culminating in the Helsinki Act, had led to the European détente, followed by the transformation of the bipolar system of international relations into the multi-polar (or post-bipolar) one. The application of the comprehensive security principles and practices to the Korean settlement (including the Six-Party Talks) could generate a durable and effective solution of the Korean problem, with Korean unification as a final goal. It could also result in the creation of a multilateral system of security and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

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As Allied victory gradually became more certain during World War II, the plight of Korea slowly came to be addressed by the West. By 1943, the Franklin Roosevelt administration advocated international trusteeship for postwar Korea to protect the interests of the nations directly concerned with the peninsula and forestall potential conflict. It was thought a neutral Korea would best serve peace and stability in Asia and require Soviet-Chinese consent.

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The primary characteristic of the changed Asia-Pacific situation is a strengthened U.S. political and security influence in Northeast Asia.

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The division among Koreans living in Japan is a result of the division of the nation itself, and therefore harmony among them would be the model for the unification of the fatherland. The home nation is divided by a national boundary, but the Koreans in Japan are divided even though there is no boundary separating them. They are free to meet and hold dialogues if they choose to do so. That is why if they could come together in harmony they would show the possibility that their home nation could also break down the national boundary and unite.

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The world envisages a new paradigm in meeting energy requirements, because many countries around the world have experienced structural changes in the political and economic environment. Especially, with the advent of the Euro community, the world economy faces a new kind of regionalism, characterized by openness in national boundaries and densely inter-connected market expansion to a regional bloc.

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Since the first inter-Korean summit held in June 2000, South and North Korea have expanded mutual contacts and exchanges. The two Koreas have been developing inter-Korean relations of reconciliation and cooperation on a practical level. In other words, Seoul and Pyongyang have begun a process to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula by establishing a stable peace structure and ‘real’ talks for improving inter-Korean relations toward the long-term goal of unification.

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The agricultural sector in North Korea has never been able to supply enough food to satisfy the domestic market. In the 1970s and 1980s, Kim Il-sung set a goal of producing 10 million tons of grain a year, but it is unlikely that more than 8 million tons were produced. Grain production fell to 4 to 5 million tons in the 1990s, and after severe floods destroyed much of the crops and land in 1995, production fell to 2 to 3 million tons. North Korea will suffer from a lack of food for the foreseeable future unless urgent countermeasures are taken.

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Many present democracies in Asia including South Korea and Taiwan have gone through the stage of an authoritarian political system until their countries matured sufficiently to adopt a full-fledged western-style democracy. The Kim Jong-il regime might be a necessary evil in the process of a soft landing. We hear that he is a flexible and pragmatic man, and with proper guidance and aid from outside he may become a valuable instrument for the soft landing of North Korea.

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North Koreans are very ideologically oriented, strong in morals and ethics. But the problem is they do not have a lot to eat and wear. Once they solve these basic needs they will gain self confidence. When you are hungry you can still say that you are full, but ultimately you cannot hide your suffering face. For this reason, the North Korean authorities do not really look forward to the family reunions that are from time to time being arranged between families separated between North and South, because of the difference in appearance between the North and South Koreans.

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